U.S. diabetes rate nearly doubles in a decade

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/10/30/double.diabetes.decade.ap/index.html

ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- The rate of new diabetes cases nearly doubled in the United States in the last 10 years, with the highest levels in the South, the government said Thursday in its first state-by-state review of new diagnoses.

Diabetes is increasing everywhere, the study's lead author said. "It's a national problem."

The highest rate was in West Virginia, where about 13 in 1,000 adults were diagnosed with the disease. The lowest was in Minnesota, where the rate is 5 in 1,000.

About 90 percent of the cases are Type 2 diabetes, the form linked to obesity. The findings echo geographic trends seen with obesity and physical inactivity, which are also tied to heart disease. Southern states rank worst in those measures, too.

"It isn't surprising the problem is heaviest in the South -- no pun intended," said Matt Petersen, who oversees data and statistics for the American Diabetes Association.

But the study provides important new information on where new cases are emerging each year, giving a more timely picture of where the disease is exploding. The information should be a big help as the government and health insurers decide where to focus prevention campaigns, he said.

The study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention covered most states.

More than 23 million Americans have diabetes. The number is growing quickly. About 1.6 million new cases were diagnosed in people 20 or older last year, according to the CDC.

Some studies have offered state-specific estimates of diabetes cases, but this is the first to chart where new cases are being diagnosed.

"It's important work," said Angela Liese, a diabetes researcher at the University of South Carolina, who was not involved in the CDC study.

The study involved a random-digit-dialed survey of more than 260,000 adults. Participants were asked if they'd ever been told by a doctor that they have diabetes, and when the diagnosis was made.

The annual rate of new diabetes cases rose from about 5 per 1,000 in the mid-1990s to 9 per 1,000 in the mid-2000s, according to data gathered for 33 states for which CDC had complete data for both time periods.

The researchers had data for 40 states for the years 2005-07. West Virginia, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Texas and Tennessee had the highest rates, all at 11 per 1,000 or higher.

Minnesota, Hawaii and Wyoming had the lowest rates.

It's not completely clear why some states have a worse incidence than others. Older people, blacks and Hispanics tend to have higher rates of Type 2, and the South has large concentrations of older people and blacks. Texas has a large Hispanic population. However, West Virginia -- the state with the highest rate of new cases -- is overwhelmingly white.

The report only asked about diagnosed diabetes. Because an estimated 1 in 4 diabetics have not been diagnosed, the findings probably underestimate the problem, Liese said.

The underestimates may be particularly bad in the rural South and other areas where patients have trouble getting health care, she noted.

Diabetes is increasing everywhere, said Karen Kirtland, the study's lead author, who said the rate rose in all states. "It's a national problem," she said.

That doesn't surprise me. People eat such crap food... So many calories, sugars and fat. They don't move either. It's like people forgot walking exists instead of using their cars to get milk at the store that's just 10 minutes away. They prefer to eat their crap, sit and watch (horribly bad) TV shows all day.

I thought it is also increasing worldwide.

It is. Comparible numbers in Australia and pretty much in any country with rising rates of obesity.

Food is a bigger enemy than terrorists.

Definitely.  It kills way more people per year in America than all the terrorist groups combined.

As much as I am fully behind personal responsibility and believe that people can over-come obesity, I do believe that the obesity epidemic is (potentially) a disease that is caused by massive consumerism ...

In any market place companies grow to fill as many needs as the market will support at any given time and (eventually) all existing needs will be met. At this point a company can only grow further when it takes market share away from its competition, the market grows organically (from birth for example), or they create a new need to fulfill. After decades of highly successful marketing companies have created all sorts of needs for people which have a detrimental impact on their health.

Cooking (generally healthy) meals is not that hard and does not take that much time but there are enough people who have been sold on a lifestyle of take-out food and TV-dinners which are (generally speaking) very bad for you that it is causing a serious problem. On top of that companies like Starbucks (Late factor) and Pepsi (snack foods) have created high calorie foods that people don't need and that only make them much heavier.

I don't know what the solution is because these companies have a right to exist and to sell their products, but their search for the best bottom line does come with a very large negative side-effect.

I eat at home all the time, and sometimes I actually worry more about my weight getting too low than getting too high. I've already lost ten pounds since I moved into my apartment. Eating out really does add a lot of extra calories. Its because the secret ingredient in just about every dish at a restaurant is fat, loads and loads of fat. Butter, oil, cheese, take your pick.

 So in fact MC Donald is higher on the list 'bomb it' than Pakistan!!!

McDonald's has killed millions. MILLIONS!!!